Wines

97 Points! Packed with cherry, raspberry and pomegranate flavors, this red is also succulent and verging on racy in profile, with a deep vein of mineral and peppery spice notes that intensify on the extended finish. Shows superb balance and grace, with the best yet to come. - Wine Spectator

96+ Points! The Barone Ricasoli 2021 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Gaiole Colledilà opens to dark fruit, but perhaps more significantly, you get a slate-like mineral note that adds focus. That mineral note appears in all these beautiful Gran Selezione wines from vintner Francesco Ricasoli, but in the case of this bottle, it adds a dark or slightly brooding personality. The finish is absolutely savory and salty. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

92 Points! Aromas of cherries, dried herbs, strawberry bush, wet stones and subtle spices with some dusty mineral notes. Silky and textured on the medium-bodied palate, it’s deliciously fruity and smooth, with a lingering finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

91 Points! The organic Brancaia 2023 Chianti Classico shows lovely primary intensity with dark cherry and blackcurrant. Barbara Widmer and her team strive for freshness and an easy-drinking experience with this charming wine. Maintaining fruit freshness and elegance is a main goal of this estate, but it also strives to push beyond the classic parameters of Chianti Classico in terms of complexity and depth. I love the brightness of the primary fruit in this wine. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

93 Points! The 2021 Chianti Classico is a powerful wine. Dark, layered and beguiling, the 2021 has so much to offer. Macerated black cherry, licorice, new leather, cloves, incense and blood orange build as the 2021 opens in the glass. This is a very serious, hugely overachieving Chianti Classico from proprietor Paolo Cianteroni. 

Proprietor Paolo Cianferoni releases his wines a bit later than most. The 2021s are worth the wait. Readers will find Chianti Classicos of uncommon depth and character, starting with the Annata, which is ridiculously good. Caparsa remains one of the Chianti Classicos under-the- radar gems, a small estate known only to relatively small subset of wine lovers. These new releases are nothing short of captivating. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

94 Points! The 2019 Chianti Classico has changed dramatically since I last tasted it, either because of more time in bottle, or because this is a later bottling. In any event, the 2019 is dense, ample and resonant in feel. Readers will find a serious, texturally intense Chianti Classico that delivers the goods, big time. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

94 Points! A crunchy wine with a bright shining color. The nose is pure sangiovese from Chianti Classico, with restrained yet well-defined red cherries, wax, subtle flowers, minerals and cherry stones. Medium-bodied on the palate, it shows refined if not filigreed tannins, tight-knit acidity and a savory, chewy, tight, yet well-balanced finish. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! The 2019 Chianti Classico has changed dramatically since I last tasted it, either because of more time in bottle, or because this is a later bottling. In any event, the 2019 is dense, ample and resonant in feel. Readers will find a serious, texturally intense Chianti Classico that delivers the goods, big time. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous

94 Points! A crunchy wine with a bright shining color. The nose is pure sangiovese from Chianti Classico, with restrained yet well-defined red cherries, wax, subtle flowers, minerals and cherry stones. Medium-bodied on the palate, it shows refined if not filigreed tannins, tight-knit acidity and a savory, chewy, tight, yet well-balanced finish. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

Sangiovese (95%) and Canaiolo (5%) from 50- and 60-year-old vine on sandstone soils at 550 meters with a rare Northwest exposure.

Grapes are handpicked and fermented in cement tanks for 14-18 days, during which regular pumping over and gentle punching is performed. Aged 20 months in cement tank and at least 4 months in bottle before release.

93 Points! Aromas of dark cherries and plums with dark spices, chocolate and dried flowers. Medium- to full-bodied, dense and structured with firm tannins and velvety texture. Dark-fruited and broad with a polished, lingering finish. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! Red with a garnet tinge, the 2019 Chianti Classico Riserva has a lovely nose of preserved red cherry, grenadine, rosemary, blood orange, fresh sage, and worn leather. It keeps lovely balance and structure on the palate, with ripe fruit but sweet tannins, and despite its ripe fruit, it has good levity and length, with its more sanguine underpinnings keeping its richness in balance. I’m quite impressed with this wine, which is going to age gracefully and show some more umami-rich tones as it ages over the next 15 years or so. - Audrey Frick, jebdunnuck.com

93 Points! A delicious, well-rounded and velvety Chianti Classico with aromas of strawberries, raspberries and mild spices. Medium-bodied with finely grained tannins and texture. Juicy and velvety with elegance and a pure character. Fresh and delicious finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! Sleek and saturated with blackberry, black cherry and pomegranate flavors, this red has density and polished tannins. Balance is this version's hallmark, with hints of mineral, spices and cocoa powder lining the long aftertaste. Drink now through 2033. - Wine Spectator

99 Points! 2018 saw the introduction of ceramic vessels in the winery, along with the addition of another large cask. The 16 micro-vinifications this year took place completely in stainless steel using wild yeasts, then matured for 22 months in tonneaux (80% new) and 15hl barrels. It then spent eight months in ceramic (rather than the cement used in previous vintages) before bottling. This 2018 brilliantly combines the darker fruit of 2016 with the mega-freshness of 2015, finishing it off with super-fine tannins. Creamy, earthy and chocolatey notes are lifted by a balsamic waft, overlaid with ripe, sapid red and black cherries, a touch of black tea and a long, sweet, pure cherry and wild strawberry finish. Superb. - Decanter Magazine

96 Points! The 2021 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigna Casanova dell'Aia is a picture-perfect example of Radda. Sage, mint, white pepper, crushed rocks, mint and dried herbs give the 2021 its intensely floral/savory/mineral style. Readers will find a Gran Selezione endowed with tons of tension and pure mineral drive. This has really come along since I tasted it last year. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

96 Points! The 2021 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigna Cavarchione is a polished, sensual wine. Black cherry, plum, lavender, sage, menthol and licorice build effortlessly in a Gran Selezione that captures all the textural richness that is typical of this sector in Gaiole. Ripe, finessed tannins wrap it all together. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

97 Points! Rich, sumptuous, and beautifully layered, the 2020 is all class, all refinement. Silky tannins, expressive red-toned Sangiovese fruit and lifted, soaring aromatics give the 2020 tons of finesse. This sensual Gran Selezione is lights out. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

93 Points! This powerful red is dense yet fleshy, evoking cherry, tobacco, iron, earth and wild herb notes. Balanced and fresh, with a lingering aftertaste of fruit, savory Mediterranean herbs and mineral notes. - Wine Spectator

93 Points! Notes of raspberries and cherries with red licorice, dried orange peel and spices. Medium- to full-bodied with meaty structure. Tannins are wide and velvety with a juicy, red-fruited mid-palate. Fresh and crunchy at the end. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

95 Points! Monteraponi follows a Burgundy-adjacent farming philosophy that seeks to carve out distinct identities for strong red and white wines. The top-shelf red from the estate is the organic 2018 Baron'Ugo, a blend of 90% Sangiovese with smaller parts Canaiolo and Colorino for more color and vibrant fruit flavors. This vintage delivers a very clean and polished execution, and there is plenty of freshness, thanks to vineyard positioning at a cool and breezy 560 meters in elevation on limestone alberese soils. The oak is woven in a delicate manner in this wine. Production is 6,600 bottles. This is a little treasure from Tuscany. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

A blend of 90% Sangiovese with 10% Canaiolo, Ciliegiolo, and Colorino, Piemaggio’s flagship Chianti Classico ferments spontaneously in stainless steel during a 3 ½ week maceration, and spends two years aging in a combination of concrete tanks and previously used wooden casks—mainly 25-hectoliter Slavonian oak, with some 500-liter French oak employed as well. Utterly textbook in character, it combines earth, bright fruit, and tangy acidity, with notable yet unforced concentration; it is a wine of balance and egoless drinkability.

93 Points! The 2023 Chianti Classico is fabulous. Rich and layered in the glass, the 2023 impresses with its purity and exceptional balance. Strong spice, leather and tobaco notes run through a core of red Sangiovese fruit. All the elements are so well balanced. Dollops of Canaiolo and Colorino are so well put together. This is a sublime wine. Truly exceptional. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous

96 Points! The 2020 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigneto San Marcellino is a dense, powerful wine. Black cherry, scorched earth, tobacco, licorice and incense showcase the darker, brooding side of Sangiovese. Readers will want to cellar the 2020 for at least a few years. Its relatively plush contours should start to soften by then. It's a stellar wine, one with a very bright future. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous

96 Points! The 2020 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione San Marcellino is made from 88% Sangiovese and the balance Pugnitello, which contributes richness to the blend. Pugnitello, meaning fist, refers to the compact size of the grape clusters, which have thick skins, give good extract of color, and are the last harvested. In the glass, the wine pours a deep yet bright red hue, while aromas of ripe cherry, resinous herbs, pine, and gravelly earth lead into a full-bodied palate with a firm backbone of acidity, rich tannins, and savory depth. Structured and persistent, it shows both power and freshness (hallmarks of the estate), with a long, mineral-driven finish. - Audrey Frick, jebdunnuck.com